Improvement in lamps for railroad-cars



R. S.' MERRILL.-

Gar Lamp.

No. 109,537. Patented Nov. 2z, 187.0.

Wnesses RAP WASHINGTON. D C.

* Ctnitrt Y Seite @anni effin;

RUFIIS MERRILL, BOSTON, MASSAOHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, JOSHUAMERRILL, AND WILLIAM B. MERRILL, OE SAME PLAGE.

Letters Patent, No. 109,537, dated November 22,1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN LAMPS FOR RAILROAD-CARS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thelame.

To whom. it may concern Be it known that 1 RUFUs S. MERRILL, of Boston,in the county of Suolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Lamps for Railroad Gars, and otherpurposes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to argand lamps, having anaperture in the lowerpart of the lamp-body for the admission ofthe air, which forms thecentral draught; and

Its object is to adapt lamps of this kind for use with the ordinarycylindrical lamp-holders or brackets now generally in use inrailroad-cars and other places.

The holders or brackets referred to consists of a cylindrical body orcup, into which the'body or oilreservoir of the lamp is tightly fitted,so that it may not rattle or be shaken about in the bracket. when thecars are in motion.

If, however, the body of the lamp is a plain cylinder, so as to tagainst the sides of the holder, little or no air can pass down between.the sides of the lamp and the holder to create and keep up withregularity the central draught.

.'ll1erefore,'in applying an argand lamp to a holder, such as referredto, it is necessary to provide, not only-'that it shall littightly intheholder, but also that space may be left leading from the upper to thelower part of the lamp-body, through which air may pass to the centraldraught-passage ofthe lamp.

To accomplish this result is the object of' my invention, which consistsin forming a series of corrugations or depressions upon the exterior ofthe body of an argand lamp in such manner that when the lamp is placedand fitted in the holder, air-passages will be formed by saidcorrugations or depressions, leading from the upperl part vot' the lampto the lower part, or bottom, where the month of the .centraldraught-passage is located, thus supplying the burner with the requisiteamountof' air without preventing in any waythe lamp-body from ttingtightly within the holder.

yThe manner in which my invention is or may be carried into effect willbe readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing',- inwhich- I Figure 1 is a perspective view of an argand lamp,

4 made in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of. the same, to-v gether with thelamp-bracket or holder in which it is placed.`

The body of the lamp may be made of glass or "metal, and it is of suchsize and shape as to it snugly within the holder to which it is to beapplied.

In the present case its general contour is cylindrical, but a series ofcorrugations, a, are formed y upon its exterior, which extend from itsupper part to its base, so 'that when the sides and bottom of thelampcome in contact witlnthe cylindrical but smooth or plane surface of theholder, a series of passages ywill be formed, which will'admit air tothe central draught-passage of the lamp, no matter how tightly thelamp-body and the holder are fitted together.

This is shown in fig. 2, where;

A represents the lamp-body;

B, the holder, of ordinary construction;

b, the lower opening or mouth of the central draught-tube; and- .f

c, one of the air-passages between the sides of the lamp and the holder.if

In the present instance, the corrugations extend a slight distanceunderv the bottom, so as to conduct the air to the opening bj, bt,instead of this, knobs, or like devices, may be formed onor applied -tothe bottom of the lamp for a like purpese.

The bottom of the'lamp, at its periphery, ex-

tends below the central part, where vthe mouth b islocated, so that thelamp-body may rest upon a dat surface with perfect steadiness, at thesame time that'air passes without hindrance under the bottom to thecentral draught-tribe.

rlhe chief advantage, however, of' my invention is that it allows anargand lamp to be applied t'o and used with lamp-holders or brackets ofVordinary construction without necessitating the least'alteratiou orchange in the same.

In lieu of corrugating the exterior of the lamps, I studs or knobs maybe formed thereon, or the body may be otherwise constructed, so as totit closely within the holder', and yet leave passages for the admissionof air to the central draught-tube.

Having now described my invention, and the manner in which the same isor may be carried into effect,

What I claim, and desire to` secure' by Letters Patv ent, isf Thecombination, with a lampholder or bracket, constr'uctedso as to inclosethe oil-vessel, as de,- scribed, of an argand" lamp, fitting in the saidholder, and corrugated or otherwise formed upon .its exterior, asAspecitied, so that under all circumstances no matter how closely thelamp may fit within- `the holder, spaces will be left between the holderand lamp-body forthe passage of -air to the central draught-tube,substantially as show-n and set forth.

In testimony wherof, I have signed my name to this specification, beforetwosubscribing witnesses. RUFUS. S. MERRILL.

Witnesses z M. BAILEY, EDM, F. BROWN.

